For Julianna Chappell, it all started with a realization.
Rewind a few years: Chappell, then in middle school, and her younger brother, Thomas, both played for AAU basketball teams.
That's when she noticed. Thomas' team had sponsors paying for everything from jerseys to socks to water bottles. Her team? Not one sponsor.
"We had to stand outside of Target and Walmart and K-Mart to fundraise in order to pay for our uniforms and tournament fees," Chappell said. "That really was the first time my eyes were opened to the inequality between funding for boys sports and girls sports."
After that, her platform, FAIR (Female Athlete Investment and Resources) was born. At first, the platform was just volunteering at athletic and track camps, where she's donated over 150 hours of her time.
"Just being there as a volunteer and as a role model to young girls [is rewarding]," she said. "Sure, there might 20 other boys at this camp and you might be the only other girl here, but you can still compete and be successful and still be well-rounded in academics and fine arts and be feminine and beautiful and enjoy being a girl at the same time."As FAIR grew, and Chappell grew older and got a part-time job at Publix, she began saving some of her paycheck. This year, she used the money she saved to pay for a local middle school girl's sports fees so she could keep playing basketball.
"Sports has taught me so much and been so important to me and given me so many great opportunities," said Chappell, who participates in cross country, track and field and basketball at Clearwater's Calvary Christian High. "I want every young girl to be able to have those same life experiences and not let a financial need be a barrier from keeping them to have those opportunities."
And this is where the pageants come in- because, in addition to holding Calvary's school record in the high jump, Chappell also holds the title of Miss Clearwater Outstanding Teen. One component of pageant competition is called the platform (essentially, community service), and Chappell's platform is FAIR.
"[Being Miss Clearwater's] given me some great opportunities to really mentor young women through athletics, what I love to do, and share the importance of the equality for women through athletics," she said.
And this week, Chappell hopes to expand her platform's reach even further. Wednesday, she travels to Lakeland to compete for the title of Miss Florida Outstanding Teen. The competition is a lot like a track meet, Chappell explains, with a preliminary round Friday and finals Saturday with the top ten contestants based on prelims score. Except in the Miss Florida pageant, an eleventh contestant, called the People's Choice, also moves on to finals.
People's Choice is voted on by donation, with 90% of the proceeds going to the Miss America organization and the Children's Miracle Network and 10% going to the winner's personal platform. This year, Chappell would like to sponsor more athletes in more sports, including track, and that 10% from People's Choice would help her expand FAIR.
"I just [want] to make a difference in my community and not let a financial need be a barrier."
To vote for Chappell for the People's Choice Award, click here. Each dollar donated equals one vote, and voting closes Friday, July 1 at 6 p.m.